Advising Guidelines

Recommended first year pathways

These pathways are determined by placement testing, and offer a choice between prioritizing timely completion of Mathematics requirements or early introduction into a student’s major or interest area. Course sequencing, modality, and offerings may be in competition with these recommendations, and academic advisors are encouraged to use professional judgment to make the best recommendation for individual students.

Students who . .	Fall	Winter	Spring
Place into Math 072, CORE 101, and WR 115 (OPTION 1)	CORE 101, UNI 101, WR 115 + one or more course in major, interest area, or GE	CORE 102, MATH 072, WR 116 or WR 121+one or more course in major, interest area, or GE	MATH 095 or MATH 098,  WR 121, 122, or 123 + one or more course in major, interest area, or GE
Place into Math 072, CORE 101, and WR 115 (OPTION 2)	CORE 101, MATH 072, UNI 101, WR 115	CORE 102, MATH 095 or MATH 098, WR 116 or WR 121+ one or more course in major, interest area, or GE	Intro-level MATH/STAT, WR 121, 122, or 123+one or more course in major, interest area, or GE
Place into CORE 101, Math 095, and WR 115 (OPTION 1)	MATH 095 or MATH 098, CORE 101, UNI 101, WR 115 + one or more course in major, interest area, or GE	Intro-level MATH/STAT, WR 116 or WR 121 + one or more course in major, interest area, or GE	WR 121, 122, or 123+courses in major, interest area, or GE
Place into CORE 101, Math 095, and WR 115 (OPTION 2)	CORE 101, UNI 101, WR 115+one or more course in major, interest area, or GE	MATH 095 or MATH 098, WR 116 or WR 121 + one or more course in major, interest area, or GE	Intro-level MATH/STAT, WR 121, 122, or 123 + courses in major, interest area, or GE
Place into Math 111 and WR 115	Intro-level MATH/STAT, UNI 101, WR 115+one or more course in major, interest area, or GE, or Spanish	WR 121	Additional FYE, WR, or GTW course
Place into Math 095 and WR 121	MATH 095 or 098, UNI 101, WR 121+one or more course in major, interest area, GE, or Spanish	Intro-level MATH/STAT, Additional WR, FYE, or GTW course
Place into both HUM & CORE (OPTION 1)	CORE 101, UNI 101, WR 115 + one or more course in major, interest area, GE, or Spanish	CORE 102, WR 116 or WR 121, MATH 072, 095, or 098+course in major, interest area, GE, or Spanish	MATH, WR if needed + courses in major, interest area, GE, HUM, or Spanish
Place into both HUM & CORE (OPTION 2)	HUM 112, MATH 072, 095, or 098, UNI 101, WR 115	HUM113, WR 116 or WR 121,MATH + course in major, interest area, GE, or Spanish	MATH if needed, WR if needed + courses in major, interest area, GE, HUM, or Spanish
Place into both HUM & CORE (OPTION 3)	CORE 101, HUM 112, UNI 101, WR 115 + course in major, interest area, GE, or Spanish	CORE102 or HUM 113, MATH 072, 095, or 098, WR 116 or WR 121 + course in major, interest area, GE, or Spanish	MATH, WR if needed + courses in major, interest area, GE, HUM, or Spanish
Place into Math 111 and WR 121 (OPTION 1)	UNI 101, Intro-level MATH/STAT, WR 121 + one or more course in major, interest area, GE, or Spanish	Additional FYE, WR, or GTW course
Place into Math 111 and WR 121 (OPTION 2)	UNI 101, Intro-level MATH/STAT + two or more courses in major, interest area, GE, or Spanish	WR 121	Additional FYE, WR, or GTW course
Dual credit for college-level math and/or writing	UNI 101Additional FYE, WR, or GTW course. . .	Additional FYE, WR, or GTW course

Priorities for placement into UNI 101

Priority 1: Students who place into Core should take UNI unless their schedule prohibits it. 

Priority 2: First-generation students should be strongly encouraged to take UNI 101. 

Priority 3: Students who identify themselves as feeling underprepared or anxious about starting college, and students who have a higher risk level based on high school performance. 

For students who do not place into Core, use the following screening questions to determine whether UNI 101 would be a good fit:

Are you the first in your family to go to college?	YES: Advise UNI 101	NO: Move on to next question
In high school, did you spend 5 or more hours a week doing homework, reading for school, or studying outside of class?	YES: UNI is optional	NO: Advise UNI 101
Do you feel underprepared or anxious about starting college?	YES: Advise UNI 101	NO: UNI is optional

Students don’t need to take UNI 101 if:

• They have more than 30 credits completed (though some students who earned those credits through dual enrollment, could benefit from the class. Use your professional judgment)
• They are ASTEO Scholars who will be enrolled in SCI 207
• They are high achieving students, as determined by their transcripts (eg. valedictorians, more than one AP class, 4.0 GPA, etc.)
• The schedule required by their major prohibits it
• The advisor’s professional judgment determines the class will not be a good fit for the student

Students who are not able to take UNI 101, but wanted to, or would benefit from it should:

• Be advised to take an additional GTW class in the Winter, such as LIB 127, HUM 113, or WR 122, which are courses that are specifically designed to enhance academic success
• Be referred to the First Year Experience Coordinator, Retention Coordinator or other appropriate personnel for academic coaching

CORE 101 & HUM sequence

The Core and Hum sequences are both designed as “support” classes for first-year students. They both provide a low-stakes environment for students to develop the reading, writing, speaking, and listening/note taking skills they need to be successful in college as well as to build community with their peers. Both sequences include significant practice reading, several short writing assignments, guided class discussions, and  individual and group presentations. 

Core 101 accomplishes this as a corequisite to WR 115. Students who place into both  developmental math and developmental writing take WR 115 and Core 101 as a cohort. These students are likely to have internalized the idea that they are “bad at writing” or are used to being quiet in class, and taking both WR 115 and Core 101 together allows them to build a community in which they can feel more comfortable working on their writing and discussion skills. It also allows instructors of the courses to discuss individual student needs in order to provide the specific support they need. 

Core 102 fills a similar purpose: it is appropriate for those students who completed Core 101 and would like to continue with another low-stakes, supportive environment while they complete their second term. It is also appropriate for students who place into WR 115 and begin their first term in Winter (though we cannot provide the same cohort model as we do in Fall because of enrollment numbers). 

The HUM sequence is similar to Core in that it also provides a low-stakes environment for students to build community and develop college skills. This sequence was designed for students who attended high school outside of the United States, grew up speaking a language other than English, or had English language support in middle or high school. It is also appropriate for students who would like a low-stakes environment to practice reading, writing, speaking, and listening in English, and for those students who are especially interested in working with individuals with diverse backgrounds (for example, education majors who are seeking TESOL endorsement). HUM classes are also appropriate for some students who are placed on academic probation during their first or second year. The HUM courses (112, 113, and 114) have different but similar curriculum, and students are encouraged to take the full sequence when appropriate but do not need to take them in order. Students beginning in Winter or Spring may especially benefit from Hum 113 or 114 as a way to build community.

Students may place into both HUM and Core: in this case, we recommend that the student be allowed to choose which course they prefer. The difference will be that HUM will primarily consist of international and other students who speak English as an additional language, while Core will be primarily domestic students who speak English as their first language.

Principles underlying first year scheduling pathways

Practical considerations

1. First-year scheduling should recognize students’ interests and motivations for enrolling in college, providing all students the option to take at least one course per term in an area of interest identified by the student.
2. First-year scheduling should strengthen the knowledge, habits, and skills necessary for success in future courses in as timely a fashion as possible while also recognizing that learning takes time and some students will need more and different kinds of practice, scaffolding, and support than others.
3. First-year scheduling should provide students opportunities to learn about university and disciplinary cultures and explore different majors, fostering agency in degree selection and planning.
4. First-year students on campus should be encouraged to take all classes on campus if at all possible; first-year writing must be taken on campus unless otherwise approved by instructor or Writing Coordinator.
5. When possible, first-year scheduling should support students in completing math within the first year of college (in keeping with current research), closer to when students last took a course in math and building on their existing knowledge. 
6. However, students placing into WR 115 should in most cases prioritize first-year writing over math in fall term if they can’t take both since more courses have explicit or implicit college-level writing and reading prerequisites.
7. In most cases, students who are deficient in foreign language and place into developmental writing and math should wait to take Spanish until sophomore year. 
8. Keeping the CORE 101/WR 115 cohorts linked in fall term is important (rather than splitting those two courses apart to make more time in fall for math, for example) because it allows faculty to build intentional cross-course connections that reinforce foundational skills and support knowledge transfer; provides opportunities for students to build relationships within a learning community, developing a stronger sense of belonging at EOU; and facilitates increased information sharing, student tracking, and support from linked CORE and WR faculty.  
9. Students who place into both HUM 112 and CORE 101 can choose to take either or both (HUM 112 + unlinked WR 115; CORE 101 + linked WR 115; or HUM 112 and CORE 101 + linked WR 115). Students who attended high school outside of the United States, grew up speaking a language other than English, had English language support in middle or high school, or would like more lower stakes practice reading, writing, speaking, and listening in English might lean more toward HUM 112 than CORE (or plan to take both for even more support and practice). 
10. All campus first-year students with under 30 college credits should plan to take UNI 101 (including those who place into CORE 101 and/or HUM 112).
11. All students should have the opportunity to complete at least two terms’ worth of college support, orientation, and/or “Gateway” coursework, whether general or in their major; students at highest risk academically should aim for three. In other words, first-year students should be encouraged to take more than the bare minimum of required first-year coursework, selecting from courses specifically focused on writing from sources, practicing academic integrity, developing knowledge of academic cultures, strengthening reading, writing, speaking and reasoning skills, and so on. The “first-year experience” doesn’t end after fall term or take place in one course. Layering and reinforcing these experiences over several courses throughout the first year further strengthens students’ skills and supports retention not just from fall to winter, but from winter to spring and into the second year.  

Broader/philosophical considerations

1. [ACCESS, EQUITY, and TIME TO LEARN] Students who are not college ready are less likely to complete college in four years and should not be rushed unnecessarily and/or set up to fail by abstract, externally-imposed benchmarks for time-to-degree. First-year course pathways should also recognize that many students have other obligations and constraints outside of school that make attending college full-time (i.e., taking 12 – 15 credits) each term unrealistic. Promoting access and equity means providing students the requisite time and opportunity to learn. 
2. [AGENCY & DIVERSITY] First-year scheduling should recognize and build from the different experiences, needs, and goals with which first-year students enter EOU, affirming diverse knowledges, cultures, literacies, and language backgrounds.
3. [ACCESS, RETENTION, & TIME TO LEARN] First-year scheduling pathways should avoid stigmatizing or appearing to stigmatize particular cohorts while also avoiding placing students into courses in which they are unlikely to succeed (including first-year courses that assume knowledge or skills students may not have developed yet in reading, writing, math, research, and ethical integration of source material).
4. [ACCESS, EQUITY, & RETENTION] First-year scheduling should recognize that students entering with dual credit from high school may not bring the experience or skills those credits suggest and layer in additional opportunities to practice foundational skills in a university context. This includes multiple, meaningful opportunities to practice writing throughout their first year.
5. [BELONGING] Students need time to locate themselves at EOU. Students, especially those from backgrounds with equity gaps, need culturally-affirming opportunities for personal and social development and connection, and support in developing agency, self-efficacy, and the capacity for self-advocacy in their first year coursework.